Manikaran
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Manikaran is located in the Parvati Valley between the rivers Vyaas and Parvati, northeast of Bhuntar in the Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh. It is at an altitude of 1760 m and is located about 45 km from Kullu.
[edit] Religious centre
Manikaran is a pilgrimage centre for Hindus and Sikhs. The Hindus believe that Manu recreated human life in Manikaran after the flood, making it a sacred area. It has many temples and a gurudwara.[1]
There are temples of Lord Rama, Krishna, and Vishnu.[2]
The area is well-known for its hot springs[3] and its beautiful landscape.
According to legend, when Lord Shiva and his consort Parvati were walking in the valley, Parvati dropped one of her earrings. The jewel was seized by Shesha, the serpent deity, who then disappeared into the earth with it. Shesha only surrendered the jewel when Shiva performed the cosmic dance, the Tandava and shot the jewel up through the water. Apparently, jewels continued to be thrown up in the waters at Manikaran until the earthquake of 1905.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Manikaran Travel Guide. Retrieved on 2006-09-23.
- ^ Lord Shiva, the principle deity of Himachal Pradesh. Retrieved on 2006-09-23.
- ^ Hot Springs in Himachal Pradesh. Retrieved on 2006-09-23.
- ^ Minakshi Chaudhry, Destination Himachal, p. 208. Rupa and Co. Publ. (2006) ISBN 8129107155
